Coin control protection system for vending machines



P v20, 1954 s. L-. CHILDERS con CONTRQLPROTECTIONY SYSTEM FOR VENDINGMACHINES Fi eibcy 16} 1950 SPENCER L. 'cH/wEks INVENTOR HUEBNER,BEEHLER,

- WORREL 8 HERZIG ATTOQAEKS Patented Apr. 20, 1954 4 Claims. 1

The present invention relates to vending machines and the like and moreparticularly to a coin controlled vending machine for refrigeratedmerchandise.

Coin controlled refrigerated vending machines must function with aminimum of operational failure, structural breakdown, and servicingrequirements to be economically feasible. Such machines are usuallycharacterized by delicate and complex operating mechanisms, particularlythe slug rejecting and coin control system thereof, and are called uponto perform their intended functions in widely varied environmentspresenting wide ranges of temperature variation and other operationalhazards. Further, the slug rejecting and coin control systems areusually mounted in such machines because of design considerations suchas convenient customer access, where they are cooled below atmospherictemperature incident to refrigeration operations. This has been found tocause condensation of air-borne water vapor on such systems and theirfailure properly to operate.

For example, certain parts in coin control systems areso delicate. thatthe mere presence of water thereon'precludes proper operation because ofthe surface tension of the water. In addition, such accumulated moistureis conducive to rust and corrosion. Further, many industrial and otherlocations in which vending machines are popular have excessive air-borneimpurities which tend to collect in the coin control systems,particularly in the presence of moise ture. Before the presentinvention, it was considered impossible to keep vending machines inproper operation for even reasonable periods in such locations as cementplants, cotton gins, spray paint shops, electroplating plants, and thelike. a

The obvious expedient of hermetically sealing coin control systems andthe like'toprecludethe collection of moisture and air-borne impuritieshas been impractical. Coin reception has always precluded effectiveshielding or the systems from the air.

An object of the presentinvention is to provide for the effective.protection of delicate operating mechanisms, in. refrigerated vendingmachines and similar apparatus from air-borne moisture and impuritieswhere herinetical sealing is impossible or undesirable. 7

Another object is to provide a coin-controlled, refrigerated vending.machine characterized by reduced service requirements and increaseddependability of operation as compared to conventional machines of thetype.

I 2,675,901 UNITED STATES r'reN'r "OFFICE COIN CONTROL PROTECTION SYSTEMFOR VENDING MACHINES Spencer L. Childers, Fresno, Calif., assignor toVendorlator Manufacturing Company, Fresno, Calif a corporation ofCalifornia Application December 16, 1950, Serial No.'201,2l7

Another object is to minimize" or to'preclude V moisture collection incoin controland other intricate mechanisms in refrigerated vendingmachines and the like.

Another object is to'red'uce to a point of substantial elimination thecollection of air-borne impurities in coin. control and-other intricate2 mechanisms employed in refrigerated vending machines.

Another object is to provide for the effective protection ofcoinvcontrol mechanisms in refrigerated vending machines from moisture andairborne impurities with a minimum of expense and no appreciableincrease in power requirements.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent in the subsequentdescription in the specification.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary vertical section of a refrigerated bottlevending machine embodying the principles of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary front elevation of the vending machine of Fig. 1illustrating a front door thereof having an openable servicing panelpivotally mounted therein, the servicing panel being shown in openposition and in vertical section for illustrative convenience.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical section through a crown puller mounted inthe servicing panel shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

Referring in greater detail to the drawing:

A refrigerated coin control bottle vending machine is indicatedgenerally at Ill of any suitable form. The machine generally provides asupport frame I I mounting a refrigerated cabinet !2 providing an openforward side I3. The open forward side is closed by a door M of anyconvenient form, preferably having. a hollow interior for housing a coincontrol mechanism. It is the usual practice to provide suitable means,not shown, for locking the door M in closed position during vendingoperations; The door is conventionally hingeably mounted so that it maybe swung open when unlocked in order to load the vending machine.

The cabinet l2 provides insulated walls l6 and the door l4 and insulatedinner wall H defining a refrigerated chamber, indicated at I8.

A magazine 29 is rotatably mounted in the chamber 58 in any suitablemanner and is rotated in stepped progression by a drive linkage, notshown, in order to vend articles such as bottles 21 of soft drinks fromthe machine.

The machine is provided with a refrigeration system including a motordriven compressor 25 connected by means of a conduit 25 to a condenser21. The condenser 'is connected by a conduit 23 to an evaporator coil 29located in the bottom of the chamber H3 or other convenient location forrefrigeration of the bottles 2!, The evaporator coil is connected to thecompressor by means of a conduit 35. The refrigeration system describedis essentially conventional and is alluded to for purposes of clearlydescribing the subject invention. The refrigeration system is a simpleheatexchange mechanism whereby heat is transferred from the chambers 18into the condenser 21' for dissipation into the air. Other forms ofvendingmachines and the like and other formsof refrigeration systems maybe" employed without departing from the spirit or the scope of thepresent invention.

In order to facilitate dissipation of heat from the condenser 21, amotor 32 is mounted at a side thereof connected in driving relation to afan 33 positioned adjacent to the condenser and arranged to draw airtherethrough. The door M at the forward side of the vending machineprovides louvers 34 admitting air for passage through the condenser anddischarge rearwardly of the machine.

The door !4 is provided with a substantially rectangular centralservicing opening 39. The opening is circumscribed by a substantiallyrectangular wall c mounted in the door and with the insulated wall ITprovides a housing accessible through the opening 39. A slug rejectorand coin control mechanism All is mounted in the door in a positionconveniently accessible through the opening 38. The slug rejector andcoin control mechanism may take any suitable form but uni formly areintricate and easily rendered inoperable by the collection of moistureand/or airborne impurities. The coin control mechanism is mounted at aheight suited to customer convenience and thus is adjacent to therefrigerated chamber 58. Even though the insulated wall H is locatedbetween the coin control mechanism and the chamber, it is well known inrefrigeration mechanisms for the control mechanisms so mounted to besufiiciently cooled from the chamber to collect moisture by condensationof water vapor from the air.

A. delivery chute 45 is mounted in the cabinet l2 adjacent to themagazine 20 and downwardly inclined therefrom. An auxiliary chute 4G ismounted in the door [4 in juxtaposition with the delivery chute 45 andextends through the insulated wall ll. The chute 46 terminates in adelivery compartment fill provided in the door and a flap $3 ispivotally mounted in closing relation to the compartment. In usualoperation, a customer conditions the vending machine for operation bydepositing a coin of suitable de-' nomination in the coin controlmechanism M which either electrically energizes an electric deliverymechanism, not shown, or conditions a manual operating mechanism, alsonot shown. The bottles are individually released from the magazine 20for delivery down the chutes 45 and id to the compartment 41 forconvenient access by opening of the flap 48. The opening through theinsulated wall H and the delivery of refrigerated bottles or othermerchandise to the compartrnent t? further serves to cool the interiorof the door and increase the condensation of moisture on the coincontrol mechanism 4!.

A panel 5c is pivctally mounted as by hinges 5! in closing relation tothe opening 39. The panel is apertured, as at 52, for convenient accessto the compartment ll and flap #18 which are extended to the forwardface of the door I4. The panel is lockable in closed position by anysuitable means, not shown, and provides a crown puller 53 mountedtherein and providing an opening therethrough whereby the crowns removedfrom the bottles 2i descend inwardly through the panel and are collectedwithin the door in the well known manner. The opening in the crownpuller permits air and air-borne impurities also to enter the door. Acoin slot 54 is provided in the panel above the coin control mechanism4| and a coin tube 55 mounted on the panel in registry with the slot 54and with a coin receiving opening 56 in the coin control mechanism Mwhen the panel is locked in closed position.

As a convenience in mounting the coin control mechanism M, a rectangularbracket box 59 is mounted in the door inwardly of the access opening 39and intermediate the panel 50 and the insulated wall M. It is usualpractice to bolt or otherwise secure the coin control mechanism H on avertical wall of the bracket box 59. Coins accepted by the coin controlmechanism may be collected in the bracket box 59 or any other suitablecontainer desired.

The parts of the vending machine heretofore described are essentiallyconventional and serve to illustrate an operational environment suitableto the present invention. The coin control mechanism ll illustratesoperating mechanisms generally which are used in connection withrefrigerated vending machines or other refrigeration apparatus which areintricate in structure and subject to being rendered inoperable by thecondensation of water vapor thereon and/or the collection of air-borneimpurities therein. It will also be noted that the door it provides ahousing intermediate the insulated wall I! and the panel 50 for the coincontrol mechanism. This housing generally characterizes housings inrefrigerated vending machines and refrigeration apparatus generallywhich are substantially noncommunicative with the refrigerated chambersl8 thereof and yet subject to a certain amount of incidental coolingconducive to condensation of water vapor therein. Further, the crownpuller 53 and the coin slot 54 exemplify porting of such housingswhereby they are open to the atmosphere and receive air-borne impuritiesand water vapor.

The present invention utilizes air warmed by the condenser 2'! thrownradially of the fan 33 to maintain a pressure around the coin controlmechanism 4! in excess of atmospheric pressure. The air is filtered, aswill soon become apparent, and provides a clean, dry, operatingatmosphere for the coin control mechanism which moves outwardly throughall of the openings in the housing, thereby precluding inward movementof moist air bearing objectionable impurities.

A scoop 62 is mounted in the frame ii of the vending machine as bybrackets 63. The scoop has an enlarged intake opening t l radiallyadjacent to the fan 33 and outlet end 65 extended forwardly in themachine to a point of termination adjacent to the inner surface of thedoor [4. As is well known, rotary fans although designed to move airaxially of their rotary motion, throw a certain amount of air radiallyoutwardly in a peripherally discharged slip stream. The arrangement ofthe scoop described takes advantage of such radially thrown air and acurrent of air is forced through the scoop toward the outlet end 65without imposing any appreciable drag on the fan or reduction in airflow through the condenser.

A lower duct 63 is mounted in the door M and provides a flared end 69positioned to receive the outlet end E5 of the scoop 62 when the door isclosed. The duct and scoop have their adjacent ends looselytelescopically associated so that no appreciable opposition to movementof the door is offered thereby. The duct is extended upwardly in thedoor through the rectangular wall lit and into the housing for the coincontrol mechanism 4|.

A filter H is located within the housing over the upper end of the duct68 and serves to filter warm dry air moving upwardly through the ductinto the housing. The filter may be formed from any suitable materialsuch as fiberglass, steel wool, or other material providing effectiveair cleansing with a minimum of air impedance. As shown, the filter isconveniently accessible through the servicing opening 39 by opening theservicing panel 50. As evident in Figs. 1 and 2, the upper end of theduct 68 is of substantial cross sectional area so that effectivecleaning with a minimum resistance to air movement can be accomplished.

The bracket box 59 is provided with apertures 13 in positions desiredfor movement of air through the bracket box to the coin controlmechanism. In order to direct the air stream so as to pass around thecoin control mechanism, it is usually desirable to provide a baffleplate 14 between the filter H and the crown puller 53 and coin slot 54extended between the housing 40 and the bracket box.

As shown by the arrows it, air collected at the periphery of the fan 33is forced upwardly into the scoop 64 through the duct 68 and filter Hand passes upwardly in the housing 49 for movement across the coincontrol mechanism 41 according tothe arrangement of the apertures 13.The bracket box 59 conveniently provides an open top and air is free tomove upwardly therefrom and out of the crown puller 53. It is to be understood that the bracket box may be dispensed with entirely withoutdeparting from the spirit or scope of the present invention, itcomprising a simple mounting convenience for the coin control mechanism.When the bracket box is utilized, it has been found of aid also providea baflle Tl extended between one side thereof and the top of the housingM1. It will be apparent that any desired arrangement of baflies and thelike may be utilized to direct the air stream through or over the coincontrol mechanism, the significant feature being that an operatingenviromnent of clean dry air is provided for the coin control mechanismwhich is maintained at a pressure slightly in excess of atmospheric sothat there is no movement of air theretoward except that directedthrough the scoop, duct, and filter.

In most areas, the refrigeration system operates intermittently but suchintermittent operation is adequate to keep the coin control mechanismentirely dry and to provide clean air for its operation. In exceedinglyhumid areas oc casion has been found for running the fan 33 continuouslyin order to maintain adequate protection against the collection ofmoisture and/or air-borne impurities in the mechanism. In such instancesan incidental advantage is the additional cooling of the condenser 21 bythe continuous movement of air therethrough. Normally, the motor 32 isof such low power that continuous running is not objectionable.

The present invention has successfully obviated the rendering of coincontrol mechanisms and the like inoperable incidental to the collectionof moisture and dirt therein even in such locations as cement plants,cotton gins, spray paint shops, electroplating plants, and the like, andthe servicing requirements incident thereto.

Although the invention has been herein shown and described in what isconceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it isrecognized that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of theinvention, which is not to be limited to the details disclosed hereinbut is to be accorded the full scope of the claims so as to embrace anyand all equivalent devices, systems and apparatus.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent is:

1. In a coin operated vending machine having a cabinet providing aportion housing a coin control mechanism and having an air outlet portand a separate portion housing a refrigerating system having a condenserand a fan arranged to motivate air through the condenser, an air scooparranged to receive fan motivated air after its passage through thecondenser, an air duct connected to the scoop and arranged to direct airtherefrom to the portion of the cabinet housing the coin controlmechanism, and a filter mounted in the air duct.

2. In combination with a refrigerated cabinet having an operatingmechanism mounted there on, and a refrigeration system connected to thecabinet including a condenser and a motor driven fan arranged tomotivate air through the condenser; a ported housing containing theoperating mechanism; a scoop arranged to receive air after passagethrough the condenser; a duct interconnecting the scoop and the portedhousing; and an air filter mounted in the duct between the scoop andhousing, the air filter having an air transfer capacity greater that theventing capacity of the ported housing.

3. In a coin controlled vending machine, the combination of a cabinethaving a refrigerated chamber, an operating mechanism for the vendingmachine mounted on the cabinet exteriorly of the chamber and cooledthereby, a housing for the operating mechanism, a refrigeration systemfor the cabinet having a condenser positioned exteriorly of the chamberand a motor-driven fan positioned to draw air through the condenser tocool the same, a scoop mounted peripherally adjacent to the fan toreceive radially directed air therefrom drawn through the condenser, anda duct interconnecting the scoop and the hous- ;;ing whereby warmed airis directed from the condenser to the housing and exhausted therefrom.

4. The combination of a coin controlled vending machine having insulatedwalls forming a chamber having an access opening, an insulated doormounted in the access opening and having a hollow interior provided witha coin receiving slot, a coin control mechanism mounted in the hollowinterior of the door to receive coins through the slot, a vendingmechanism adapted to dispense articles from the chamber havingcontrolled connection to the coin control mechanism, a refrigerationsystem for the chamber having a condenser positioned exteriorly of thechamber, and a motor driven fan for driving air through the condenser;an air scoop mounted radially adjacent to the fan; a duct connected tothe scoop having an open end extended into the access opening at aposition covered by the door when the door is closed; a filter mountedin the open end of the duct accessible when the door is open; and meansin the door in registry with the duct when the door is closed fordirecting air from the duct to the hollow interior of the door forexhaust through the coin slot.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 2,462,705 Abeling Feb. 22, 1949 2,542,136 Hanson et al Feb.20, 1951 2,562,288 Wegman July 31, 1951

